Life in Shades Of Red

There I saw a young couple, falling in love  
I asked the girl which was her shade of red 
 She said the rose gifted by her love
 And the boy liked the blush on his girlfriend's cheek  
O yes, I thought red was all about roses and hearts  

I then asked the newly-wed couple their choice of red  
She smiled and showed the vermilion on her forehead   
The heena pattern on her palms was gorgeous red, 
Husband swelled with pride who was waiting for his turn,  
pointed his finger towards his red turban, power status symbol 

I saw a mother who had a newly born baby in her lap 
Celebrating motherhood, feeding, nurturing, hardly a nap 
To answer the same, she kissed tender red feet of his baby boy 
To me, red was the colour of  power, love, life, and joy 

The other day I met a devotee who was asked the same question 
He was wearing a white dhoti, barefoot, a red tilak on his forehead 
He made me stand in front of Goddess Kali statue and said,
"Her eyes are fiery red, her tongue is blood red ".

It was Chrismas eve I met Santa riding on his sleigh, 
flying through the sky in red and white attire, wearing a cap
children in red, sang carols, danced, cheers and clap 
I understood that red was the colour of festivals and  devotion 
 
Finally I walked to an old man sitting under a tree, looked tired 
When asked what was red, he spit on the ground to show the blood and  mucus 
Death could lay him down anytime, cancer infected lungs,  filled  with  puss 
I was scared, sad and confused, to me red was now a colour of painful end  

In response to the weekly Prompts Colour challenge: Forty shades of Red